test2wa

Mandira Sawhney

England had been unbeaten in the ICC Womens World Cup. They were also cruising on the back of the record equalling 17 consecutive ODI wins when they stepped on to the North Sydney Oval to take on arch rivals Australia on Thursday, looking to go one up. However, what lay in store for them was a reality check. Australia, for the first time in this tournament, looked the side that had been touted the favourites two weeks ago.

Their bowlers made easy work of the England batting order, which up until now had looked invincible, and restricted them to 161. A score which fell fourteen runs short of par.

The bowlers had done their bit and post lunch it was left up to the batters to deliver the goods. No disappointment there either as they did what was asked of them in just over 30 overs. So the Aussies did finally come in to form but not in time to make it to the final. That dressing room of theirs, however, will be buzzing with suggestions for their next match where they will aim to avenge their defeat against India in the first match of the Super Sixes.

As for England, they just may have got the worst out of the way before the all important final against New Zealand on Sunday.

The result of the ICC Women's World Cup is no longer looking as predictable as it did in the group stage.

When Belinda Clarke and I walked on to the pitch this morning, there was an underlying assumption in our conversation; that Australia would walk away with two more points whilst India would lose.

This assumption was based on Team India's last outing when the women in blue were thrashed by a far superior England side.

But we were in for a surprise. The Super Sixes kicked off today and with it India's incredible start to what can be considered a tangible bid for the coveted title.

Jhulan Goswami's team lost the toss and were put in to bat on a wicket that delivered 234 runs off the Indians' bats. Experienced batter Anjum Chopra held the innings together beautifully with her 76 runs- the highest she's scored in this tournament, as well as her best ever performance against World Champions Australia.

The Australian team on the other hand were put under pressure early on in their innings when they lost three valuable wickets in Shelley Nitshchke, Lisa Sthalaker and skipper Karen Rolton. The Indian bowling was spot on but the fielding could have been tighter; the guests were more focussed on defending boundaries and that meant easy singles and 2s for the hosts. But all's well that ends well and India won by 16 runs.

The pressure now falls on to the Indian players but their next match is two days away and for now it's their first night out and bit of celebration.

England won the toss and decided to field; a decision that highlighted the astute captaincy of skipper Charlotte Edwards- Their strategy was an attacking one with varied, accurate bowling and tight fielding. This translated to quick dismissals and restricted runs as far as Jhulan Goswami's floundering team was concerned. The only bright spark in the Indian batting line up was Mithali Raj, who could have scored a lot more than her 59, if only she'd got to the striker's end more often..

However, though there was an inspired burst of 33 runs from the Indian vice captain Amita Sharma right at the end of the innings, her performance was lost in the clichéd but accurate case of too little too late. And, predictably, what stemmed from this was the obvious question of why she wasn't played higher up the batting order. A lesson among many perhaps that India need to take with them to their next team meeting.

As for England, there was very little they did wrong. After their bowling crippled the opposition, it was the batters' turn to cement the superiority that was on display right from the word go. Thanks to the one dimensional Indian bowing, they lost just one wicket in the entire match; that of youngster Sarah Taylor. But they were unfazed and rightfully so. Superstar Claire Taylor alongside opener Caroline Atkins carried their team through to a super easy 9 wicket win over India.

The Indian side was deflated and their body language showed it - however, there are many more matches to be played and if they truly want to make a bid for the trophy, they will have to unlearn, relearn and reapply. For as former Australia player Melanie Jones put it, it's sad that Team India still make the same mistakes they have been for years, for it is this that keeps the coveted title out of reach for the women in blue.

With a global television crew providing a spotlight which would even make the glorious ladies of wrestling envious, and would make Bollywood producers hungrily sit up and look for the their next storyboard and star, the ICC women's world cup has it all.

Australia is the favourite and their first game against New Zealand could not have been a sterner test for their neighbours are not just a high quality team but their biggest rivals as well. While eight teams make up the two groups, the buzz is that the four strongest are the Tasmanian rivals and England and India.

Sitting in the commentary box, Wasim Akram notices that the passion for the sport has not diminished in Sydney and he wryly comments that there are more people here than there were for the Sri Lanka - Pakistan test.

Our commentary box is perched a tiring sixty two steps above sea level (counted by Alan Wilkins) and our producer Glenn Connley consoled the commentators and me with, "You'll have buns of steel by the time we get done".

With my buns of steel getting steelier with every trip made down and back up, and a battle royale being played out on the field, the first impressions that I sign off with are that the fig tree gracing the North Sydney Oval stands like a grandfather overseeing his legacy and as to how fortunate I am to be a part of this event.

If the IPL has started as it means to go on, then it is a win-win situation for the eight franchises and of course the Indian Cricket Board.

The auction for 78 top-class international players was unprecedented in the history of sport and had the entire country and media contingents panting in a frenzy that is seldom associated with a cricket meeting.

Of course, the fact that Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta et all are now inextricably linked to the latest baby of international cricket, makes it even more of a media circus.

The question is, does Cricket really need all the attention and hype? And more importantly, will the IPL format be able to sustain this hoopla it has generated?

Or will this tournament peter down to become another domestic tournament once the novelty's worn off?

Will the Indian audience dedicate their passion to these mixed teams or is such fervour reserved only for the national side?

Each of these questions will have to find its tangible and realistic answers - Answers that come with time as do the lessons associated with them.

But coming back to the present, this exciting and mammoth experiment has been launched off its pad- all that’s left to see is whether it flounders or takes off.